Putin Claims Willingness to Meet Zelenskyy But Rejects His Legitimacy to Sign Peace Agreements
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is ready to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but insists Zelenskyy is no longer a legitimate authority capable of signing any peace agreement.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to Reuters.
Speaking at a meeting with international media representatives on June 19, Putin declared: “We are ready to negotiate. I’m even prepared to meet with Zelenskyy. That’s not the issue. The question is: who signs the documents? It must be someone with legal authority. Otherwise, the next leader might discard everything.”
Putin doubled down on the Kremlin’s unjust narrative that Zelenskyy’s presidential mandate expired in May 2024, claiming that any agreement signed by him would lack legal validity.
However, this argument has been firmly rejected by Ukrainian institutions and international legal experts.
Under Ukraine’s Constitution, the president remains in office during martial law until new elections can be safely conducted.
Both the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the national parliament have affirmed the continuity of Zelenskyy’s presidency amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Putin also criticized Germany’s policy, arguing that Berlin had disqualified itself through military support for Ukraine.
“When we see German tanks and potentially Taurus missiles on the battlefield, possibly even operated by Bundeswehr officers, it's hard to talk about neutrality,” he said.
On NATO, Putin dismissed the alliance’s military buildup as ineffective and counterproductive. “Increasing military budgets to 5% of GDP makes no sense and only adds risks,” he claimed.
Putin’s remarks follow recent reports that the Kremlin is attempting to rebrand its global image by offering to mediate in conflicts outside of Ukraine, including rising tensions in the Middle East.
While Moscow presents itself as ready for diplomacy, Kyiv and its allies maintain that any meaningful negotiations must be based on international law, not Russian attempts to delegitimize Ukraine’s leadership.
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